Wagon-tongue support.



No. 892,696. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908. W. A. & W. T. WALKER. WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.10,1B06.

WW4 mm.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. WALKER AND WILLARD T. WALKER, OF RAGINE, WISCONSIN.

WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1908.

Application filed September 10, 1906. Serial No. 333,896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. WALKER and WVILLARD T. i/VALKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVagon-Tongue Supports, of which the following is a specification, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to devices for yieldingly supporting wagon tongues or poles at different elevations in order to take the weight off the necks of horses hitched thereto.

The main objects of the invention are to produce a simple and effective device for the purpose which can be easily and quickly applied to and removed from a wagon without withdrawing the bolt on which the tongue is pivoted, and which can be adjusted to support the tongue at different elevations by a simple manipulation without removingscrews or bolts, and generally to improve the construction and operation of devices of this class.

It consists in certain novel features of construction and in the peculiar arrangement andcombination of parts hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawing like letters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation and vertical longitudinal section on the line 1, 1, Fig. 2, of a portion of the tongue and front gear of a farm wagon, showing the support as applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view and horizontal section of the same on the line 2, 2, Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views on an enlargedscale of the adjustable bearing block forming a part of the tongue su port, Fig. 3 being a longitudinal section on the line 3, 3, Fig. 4, and Fig. 4 an end view.

a designates the front axle, b the sandboard, 0 the bolster, d the hounds, e the tongue, f the tongue hounds, g the cross bar or brace connecting the rear ends of the tongue and tongue hounds, and h the pivot bolt assing through and pivotally connecting tiie tongue and tongue hounds with the hounds (Z, all of the usual construction and arrangement common to farm wagons.

The tongue support constituting the present invention comprises a spring rod i loo ed or bent into approximately U-shape, anc an adjustable bearing block 3' pivotally mounted on the cross piece 70 at the looped or closed end of the spring rod. Each arm of the spring rod is formed between its ends with an upward inverted U-shaped bend Z forming an open seat to loosely fit over the pivot bolt h. It is also formed between said seat and the looped or closed end of the rod with a coil or of one or more turns to give the desired elasticity to the support. Behind the seats I both arms or branches are formed with upward bends n to clear the cross bar or brace g of the tongue and permit of the ordinary vertical movement thereof without obstruction.

The block j which is pivoted on the cross piece it of the spring rod has a number, in the resent instance four, of bearing faces parallel with and at different distances from said cross piece, and is composed of two hollow or internally recessed metal sections 0 and p, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The division plane between the sections intersects the axis of the cross piece is, a semi-circular recess being formed in each end of each section for the cross piece of the spring rod to pass through. The two sections are fastened together upon the cross piece 7: after the spring rod is bent into form, as shown, by a single bolt or rivet g, and one of the sections is formed at the corners, and if desired at intermediate points, with lugs 1 which project into and engage with the other section and with the rivet g securely hold the two sections in proper relation to each other.

The support is applied to a wagon by simply inserting the free ends of the spring rod between the front axle and sand-board, the tongue being turned up for the purpose, and dropping the bends Z over and into engagement with the pivot bolt h on each side of the tongue. The tongue being turned down, rests on the under side upon the upperface of the bearing block in front of and at .a distance from the pivot bolt h, and is thus yieldingly supported in a more 01' less elevated position according to which of the several faces of said block is turned up. To adjust the support for holding the tongue at a different eleva- The support is as readily removed from as applied to a wagon without the necessity of withdrawing the-pivot bolt 72/.

We claim:

1. A wagon tongue support consisting of a looped spring rod each arm of which has an upward inverted U-shaped bend forminga single open seat adapted to fit over and engage-with the pivot bolt of the tongue and to hold said spring rod against endwise displacement, the cross piece connecting the arms being adapted to pass beneath and support the tongue in front of the pivot bolt, and the ends of the arms being adapted to pass between the front axle and sand-board, substantially as described.

2. A wagon tongue support consisting of alooped spring rod having upwardly bent open seats adapted to fit over the pivot bolt of the tongue and to hold said spring rod against endwise displacement, and upward bends behind said seats adapted to clear the cross bar at the rear end of the tongue, substantially as described.

3. A wagon t" ue support consisting of a l looped spring rod having upwardly bent clear the cross bar at the rear end of the tongue, and coils between said seats and the looped end of the rod, substantially as described.

4. A Wagon tongue support consisting of a looped spring rod and a block pivoted on the cross piece of said rod and having a number of bearing faces parallel with and at different distances from said cross piece, said bearing block being composed of internally recessed metal sections which are secured together by a bolt or rivet, and one of which has lugs adapted to engage with the other and hold it in proper relation thereto, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we hereto affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. WVALKER. I/VILLARD T. WALKER.

I tongue, upward bends back of said seats to Witnesses:

JOHN P. BARRY, JNo. XV. KNIGHT. 

